Mother murdered seven-year-old son for failing to memorise Koran

A MOTHER who beat her seven-year-old son "like a dog" when he failed to memorise the Koran has been found guilty of his murder.

Sara Ege, 33, beat Yaseen Ege to death at their home in Cardiff, Wales, in 2010 before setting fire to his body, Cardiff Crown Court found.

She was also found guilty of perverting the course of justice. The 33-year-old university graduate faces life in jail when the case returns for sentencing in the New Year.

The boy's father, Yousuf Ege, 38, was acquitted of causing Yaseen's death by failing to protect him.

Investigators had initially believed that Yaseen perished in the fire but forensic tests later revealed the little boy had died hours earlier.

His mother had pleaded not guilty to murder, telling police her husband was to blame and even claiming he would kill her unless she confessed.

During that statement, which was videotaped by police and played in court, Sara Ege described how Yaseen had collapsed - while still trying to recite passages from the Koran - after she had beaten him.

"He was breathing as if he was asleep when I left him," she said.

"He was still murmuring the same thing over and over again. I thought that he was just tired."

When she returned 10 minutes later she found her son shaking and shivering on the floor. He then died.

Within moments she said she decided to burn his body, which she did using a bottle of barbecue gel and a lighter.

In police interviews Sara Ege also admitted to beating her son "for no reason" and that her anger often led to her being out of control.

She and her husband, a taxi driver, had enrolled Yaseen in advanced classes at their local mosque as they wanted him to become Hafiz - an Islamic term for someone who memorises the Koran.

The court heard Ege became increasingly frustrated with her son's inability to learn the passages he needed to.

She told officers: "I was getting all this bad stuff in my head, like I couldn't concentrate, I was getting angry too much, I would shout at Yaseen all the time.

"I was getting very wild and I hit Yaseen with a stick on his back like a dog."

She later retracted her statement.

The court heard that Yaseen had died from significant abdominal injuries consistent with having been beaten. Evidence was also found of historical injuries.

Ege told the jury that she did not take the boy to the doctor because she feared retribution from her violent husband and worried social services would take her son away.

The jury returned unanimous verdicts after eight hours of deliberation.

Judge Mr Justice Wyn Williams will hand down his sentence in the New Year.